Top for spice tins



July 25, 1939;

J. JONES 1'0? FOR \SPICE TINS Filed July 9, 1958 Patented July as, 1939 UNITED STATES TOP FOR SPICE TINS Jesse Lee Jones, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Mc- Cormick & Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md" a corporation of Maryland Application July 9, 1938, Serial No. 218,408

4 Claims.

This invention relates to spice tins or the like, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a novel top therefor which will be simple the accompanying drawing which illustrates one practical embodiment thereof to enable others to adopt and use the same; and will summarize in the claims the novel features of construction, and novel combinations of parts, for which protection is desired.

In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a top for spice tins according to my invention, showing the openings therein closed by the closure member.

Fig. 2 is an enlargedsection on the line 2-2, Fig. l. I

Fig. 3 is a reduced plan view of the top with closure member removed. a

' Fig. 4 is a reduced plan view of the closure member, detached.

Fig. 5 is a plan view, similar to Fig. 1, showing the closure member rotated so as to uncover the perforations and a portion of the large opening in the depressed portion of the top.

As shown, the spice tin A is provided with a top I consisting of a metallic sheet having its edges Ia rolled orflanged over thesides of the tin in'the customary manner whereby the major portion of top I is disposed below theplane "of the tops of the flanges. In the center of the top, extending substantially the full width thereof, is a circular depressed portion lb forming a seat for the rotatable closure disk 2, said depression forming an integral part of the top I, and being pressed therein and connected with the body I by an undercut flange .Ic extending entirely around the periphery thereof, said. flange being undercut sufficiently to receive the periphery of the rotatable closure disk 2, shown in Fig. 4, and rotatably retaining the closure disk 2 seated upon the depressed portion without the use of pivot pins or the like.

than the depressed perforations; and adjacent one endof the straight edge of said opening Id are a series of closely spaced perforations Ie as shown in Fig. 3, through which the material within the tin A may be sprinkled in certain positions of the rotatable closure disk 2, or the material may be poured from the tin A" through opening Id in other positions of the closure disk. As shown in Fig. 4, the closure member 2 is stamped from sheet metal in the form of a disk of diameter to suit the undercut flange Ic surrounding the depressed portion lb of the cover, which flange retains the disk 2 upon the portion Ib while permitting rotation thereof. In the disk at one side thereof is an opening 2a conforming with the size-and shape of the opening Id in the depressed portion lb of the top. The openings Edi-2a are of size and'shape to permit the average teaspoon to be inserted in the can so that a level teaspoon of spice or the like may be removed at one time. The material of disk 2 along the straight edge of the opening 2a is rolled as at 2b to receive the ends of a wire bail 3 whereby the latter is hingedly mounted upon disk 2 so that it may lie flat upon the top of the disk or may be readily hinged upwardly to assist in rotating the disk 2 on the top I. When the wire bail 3 is swung downwardly all portions thereof will lie substantially below theplane of the flanges Ia of the top, and thus the tins may be readily stacked one upon another.

When the disk 2 is in the position shown in Fig. 1 the same will close the opening Id in the top and will also close the perforations Ie therein as the body of disk 2 will lie thereover. When in the position shown in Fig. 5 the contents of the tin may be sprinkled through the perforations Ie in the top, and may be poured through the registering portions of the openings Id, 2a in the top and disk. When in the other positions of the disk, the contents of the tin may obviously be poured only through the registering openings in the disk and top, or may-be sprinkled only through the registering perforations Ie and opening 2a of the top and disk.

The above construction isv simple and inexpensive to manufacture and provides a cover having a closure member retained thereon without the use of pivot pins, such as rivets or the like, and provides a simple closure member which will be operative throughout the life of the tin.

I claim:

1. In a spice tin or the like, a top having a circular depression connected therewith by an annular undercut flange and having arelativel large opening therein; a rotatable disk seated upon the depression with its periphery underlying said flange, and having an opening therein adapted in one position of the disk to register with the first mentioned opening; and a member hingedlymounted on the disk and adapted when upended to assistin rotating the disk.

2. In a spice tin or the like, a top having a cir-' cular depressed portion connected therewith by an annular undercut flange, said depressed portion having a relatively large opening therein, and,

having a series of closelyv adjacent perforations; a rotatable disk seated upon the depressed portion with its periphery underlying said flange, said disk having an opening therein adapted to register with the opening and perforations in the top in certain positions of the disk; and a memregister with the opening and perforations in the top in certain positions of the disk; and said opening in the disk being disposed at one side thereof and having a straight edge, the metal along said edge being rolled back on itself to form a bearing; and a bail journaled in said bearing.

4. In a spice tin or the like, a top having a circular depressed portion connected therewith by an annular undercut flange, said depressed portion having a relatively large opening therein, and having a series of closely adjacent perforations; a rotatable disk seated upon the depressed por tion with its periphery underlying said flange, said disk having an opening therein adapted to register with the opening and perforations in the top in certain positions of the disk; and said opening in the disk beingdisposed at one side thereof and having a straight edge, the metal along said edge being rolled back on itself to form a bearing; and a bail journaled in said bearing; said opening in the top being of same size and shape as that in the disk, and said series of perforations being disposed adjacent the said opening.

JESSE LEE JONES. 

